Why Low Cure Inks Are Necessary

Written on 11 March 2019.

Having the right screen printing supplies is important. One of the best supply items you can have is low cure plastisol inks. With non-cotton fabrics on the rise of popularity, find out why these inks will be a great value to your shop

Why Low Cure Plastisol Screen Printing Inks Are Necessary

Non-cotton fabrics, such as polyester and other synthetic performance and moisture-wicking materials are growing in popularity. While they are popular with customers, screen printers quickly realized that these materials are prone to dye-migration, also known as bleeding (the shirt color coming through the screen print ink).

The Screen Printing Problem of Dye-Migration and Bleeding

The screen printing challenge that many silk screeners face is that these synthetic fabrics are not “dye-stable.” When the t-shirt, or garment, is not dye-stable a chemical reaction called sublimation occurs. When heat is applied, the dyes in the shirt become a gas and starts to evaporate from within the fibers of the shirt. For screen printing specifically, this occurs during the ink curing and drying process. The result is what the screen printing industry calls “bleeding.” Two classic examples of this are when white ink turns pink on red garments and a white print becomes grey on black garments.

These synthetic, heat-sensitive fiber garments begin to “gas-out” at temperatures typically ranging from 295 - 330 degrees fahrenheit. The problem screen printers face is that standard plastisol ink cures right around 320 degrees. This puts the garment directly in the “bleeding zone.”

The Screen Printing Troubleshooting Answer to Dye-Migration and Bleeding is Low Cure Inks

In order to solve the dye-migration and bleeding problem, it is important to use low cure screen printing inks. Doing so will allow you to set your conveyor heat tunnel to a temperature below the dye-migration and bleed temperatures. Include low cure t-shirt inks that dry around 280 degrees during your next screen printing supply order. Doing so will let you successfully screen print on polyester, 50/50 and other dye-migration/bleed prone t-shirts and garments.

Screen Printing Supply Options for Low Cure Inks and Additives

Dynamic Ink is a low cure plastisol ink that helps you print on those polyester garments and other garments that experience dye-migration and bleeding. Try Lawson Screen & Digital Dynamic Ink Series. It is specially designed to cure at low temperatures below the point of dye-migration and bleeding. Not only will you be able to print on polyester, Dynamic Ink is a solution to not having to switch out inks. You can use this ink on polyester and cotton.